1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a duplicator, and more particularly to an apparatus and a system for transferring audio signals from a master or like source tape to slave tapes through utilization of discs adapted for time axis compressed recording.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For mass production of, for example, music or language prerecorded magnetic tapes, use has heretofore been made of a high-speed recording apparatus for dubbing which is commonly referred to as a duplicator.
The conventional duplicator comprises a reproducing device for a master or like source tape and recording devices for slave tapes. As shown in FIG. 1, in a source tape reproducing device 1 a source tape 2 such, for example, as a print mother tape installed between supply and take-up reels 3 and 4 is driven at high speed to reproduce signals prerecorded on the source tape 2. The signals thus reproduced are supplied to a plurality of slave tape recording devices 5a, 5b, . . . 5n, in which a plurality of unrecorded tapes 8a, 8b, . . . 8n respectively stretched between supply and take-up reels 6a, 6b, . . . 6n and 7a, 7b, . . . 7n are also driven at high speed to record the abovesaid reproduced output signals. In this way, slave tapes of the same content as the source tape are mass produced simultaneously in a short time.
Generally, the abovesaid slave tapes are produced in the following manner: Mother tapes are first prepared by copying from a master tape and are each used for producing a number of print mother tapes, each of which is, in turn, used for fabricating slave tapes by means of a duplicator. The source tape mentioned herein includes all of the master tape, the mother tape and the printed mother tape. For example, in the case of mass producing music prerecorded tapes for cassette use by the employment of the abovesaid duplicator, if ordinary tapes are designed for a travelling speed of 19 cm/S, then the source tape reproducing device 1 reproduces the source tape at a driving speed of 19 cm.times.32 times=6 m/S and supplies reproduced output signals to the slave tape recording devices. The tape translation speed of the cassette tape is 4.8 cm/S, so that in the slave tape recording devices 5a, 5b, . . . 5n the tapes are driven at a speed of 4.8 cm/S.times.32 =1.5 m/S for recording thereon the signals supplied from the source tape reproducing device 1. Thus, slave tapes having recorded thereon the same contents as the source tape are obtained at a speed equal to 1/32 of an ordinary tape speed.
With such a duplicator as described above, however, the quality of the slave tapes which are ultimately obtained depends on the quality of signals played back from the source tape. The source tape, in particular, the print mother tape is driven at high speed and used a number of times, so that it may often be damaged or broken to degrade its recorded contents, resulting in deterioration of the quality of the slave tapes; therefore, it is necessary to keep a reserve of such expensive print mother tape.